My Blog List

Monday, 21 December 2015

Deadliest building collapse of modern times - 24 accused on the run

The Rana Plaza disaster of 2013 in
Bangladesh was the deadliest building collapse of modern times, costing the
lives of at least 1,138 people. More than 2,000 were injured, and some are
still not accounted for.

41 people were charged with murder
in connection with the collapse, but now 24 have absconded. A court has issued
arrest warrants, and ordered that their property should be seized. The owner of
the building, Sohel Rana, is still in custody. The trial is expected to start
by April.

The building on the outskirts of Dhaka,
originally constructed as a 6-storey shopping mall, had been converted into a
9-floor factory complex. It is alleged that workers drew attention to cracks in
the structure before it collapsed.

Bangladesh’s clothing industry
employs 4 million people, and makes garments for a number of well-known Western
names. (see also my blogs of May 20 and June 12, 2013, and June 1, 2015.)

About Me

Author of 'Storm: Nature and Culture', 'Flood: Nature and Culture','Britain's 20 Worst Military Disasters','London's Disasters','The Disastrous History of London' ('Capital Disasters' in hardback), 'A Disastrous History of Britain', 'A Disastrous History of the World', 'Disaster! A History of Earthquakes, Floods, Plagues and Other Catastrophes', and 'Shutdown. Anatomy of a Shipyard Closure.' Producer/director of more
than 40 tv documentaries. Former radio producer. Freelance writer for publications such as the Guardian, Independent, Daily Express, Observer, New Statatesman. Freelance communications consultant and adviser. http://www.disasterhistorian.com/